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RECENT 
ACHIEVEMENTS 



IN THE 



PREVENTION 



OF 



CORROSION 




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RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS 

IN THE PREVENTION 

OF CORROSION 




AMERICAN BITUMASTIC ENAMELS CO. 
17 Battery Place New York City 



Copyright, IQ15, hy American Bitumastic Enamels Co. 



J 



)CI,A4l61!i4 







OCT 28 ISI5 



RECENT ACHIEVEMENTS IN THE 
PREVENTION OF CORROSION 

THE prevention of corrosion is a matter of serious concern to 
all engineers, regardless of the particular field in which they may 
be engaged. Present-day engineering work practically pre-sup- 
poses the extensive use of metals — principally iron or steel — and there- 
fore involves a consideration of corrosion either actual or potential. 

With the increasing magnitude and permanence of present-day engi- 
neering achievements, the protection of structures and equipment from 
deterioration takes on an added importance. In this connection the 
general recognition of the relatively temporary and insecure protection 
afforded by the conventional red-lead and graphite paints makes imper- 
ative the use of a corrosion preventive both permanent and dependable. 

A brief consideration of the process of corrosion will make clear the 
logical method to combat it. The consensus of scientific opinion accepts 
the electrolytic theory, which appears to account for all the phenomena 
and to tally with observation. This theory holds all corrosion of steel 
surfaces, for instance, to be due to a difference of electric potential between 
adjacent points. This may be caused by the uneven distribution of various 
components or by the presence of a different metal. 

Where such difference of potential exists in the presence of an electro- 
lyte, a current will be set up. Moisture, which is universally present, 
usually acts as the electrolyte. The substance at the higher potential 
passes into solution carrying an electrical charge, which, in the case of 
steel, is neutralized by oxidation or rust. The process continues indef- 
initely. 

It is clear, therefore, that corrosion may be effectually prevented only 
by a coating over the metal which will adhere strongly to the surface, 
which will be impermeable to moisture or other electrolytes, and which 
will act as an insulator against the establishment of electrical circuits. 
The time factor introduces the further requirement that such a coating 
shall not deteriorate or break down even under the most exacting external 
influences. 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 



The Bitumastic prod- 
ucts, both Solution and 
Enamel, meet these re- 
quirements, and have, 
for all practical pur- 
poses, solved the prob- 
lem of corrosion. 

History 

The present con- 
fidence of engineers in 
the Bitumastic prod- 
ucts is founded not on 
theoretical claims but 
on practical perform- 
ance. Bitumastic was 
brought out thirty 
years ago by Wailes, 
Dove & Co., Ltd. (now 
Wailes Dove Bitumas- 
tic Ltd.), of Newcastle- 
on-Tyne, England, a 
iirm of the highest rep- 
utation in marine work. 
Since that time the Bit- 
umastic products have 
been subjected to the 
most searching tests. 
The most remarkable record ever established in corrosion prevention 
is evidenced by the condition of a pontoon dock at North Shields, Eng- 
land, coated in 1891 with Bitumastic Enamel which, in, spite of the 
highly corrosive influences to which it was subjected, is still — 24 years 
later — in good condition. Nineteen years after its application the owners 
wrote: "Up to the present we have found the steel in perfectly good 
condition, and we have not yet had occasion to renew a single plate 
in the whole structure." 




Battleship New York 
Interior surfaces coated with Bitumastic Enamel 



HISTORY AND EXPERIENCE 




Gatun Locks on the Panama Canal, 
showing lock gates coated with Bitumastic 

Such proof of protection is more convincing than any claims regarding 
what a product is expected to do. There are many other similar instances 
in various lines. 

Bitumastic products were first widely used in marine work. Over 15,000 
ships have had their parts most vulnerable to corrosion protected by the 
Solution and Enamel. On the basis of its protective capacity in this work, 
it has been adopted in every field where the protection of iron or steel is 
imperative. 

A recent triumph of Bitumastic Enamel has been its selection, after 
rigid examination and in the face of severe competition, for extensive 
use on the Panama Canal. On this great engineering project the parts 
of the lock gates most subject to corrosion were treated with Bitumastic 
Enamel — a total of over 3,200,000 square feet of steel work constituting 
the inner surfaces of the 46 lock gates. So successfully did Bitumastic 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 



show up in this appHcation, that it has since been specified on six other 
contracts connected with the construction of the Canal. 

The well-known standard of engineering ability in the direction of the 
Panama Canal work renders comment on this record superfluous. The 
details regarding these contracts and a description of the unusual difh- 
culties — presented by the waters of Gatun Lake — successfully met by 
Bitumastic will be given in full in the section of reports on general engineer- 
ing work, pages 27-32. 



The Bitumastic Products 

The principal Bitumastic products are the Solution and the Enamel. 
Bitumastic Solution is a brilliant black bituminous paint, applied cold 

in the same manner 
as ordinary paints. 
Under conditions of 
moderate severity it 
affords splendid pro- 
tection. 

Bitumastic Enamel 
is a solidified bitumi- 
nous composition ap- 
plied hot to such 
thickness as may be 
desired, forming a 
It is applied over 




Battleship Wyoming 
Another Bitumastic Contract 



bright black coating, which hardens immediately 
a priming coat of the Solution. 

Both the Solution and the Enamel are extremely ductile and strongly 
adhesive. They do not chip or peel. They form an impervious coating, 
proof against moisture, alkalis, chemical fumes, sulphurous gases, salt 
water, salt atmosphere, and other corrosive agents. Their dielectric 
capacity is high and they thus act as efficient insulators. The full record 
of scientific tests bearing out these claims will be found on pages 40-43. 

Both are prepared from refined natural bitumens, and should not be 
confounded with materials similar in appearance containing coal tar, 
asphaltum or petroleum residues. 

The Enamel, which is used in all instances of severe requirement, is 



THE FAILURE OF FAINT 



applied on the job by the trained workmen of the American Bitumastic 
Enamels Co. This insures efficient application, and also eliminates in- 
juries by abrasion in transportation from factory to point of use. 

The Solution is furnished for application by the consumer, in accordance 
with explicit instructions which are provided. As a true solvent is used 
in the reduction of pure bitumen, the Solution retains all the inherent 
qualities of its base. It contains no oil, turpentine or benzine, and is 
guaranteed entirely free of coal tar. On metal surfaces, the Solution has 
a covering capacity of about 350 square feet per gallon one coat. It dries 
quickly with a high, glossy finish, forming a hard, yet tough and elastic 
coating, which preserves its adhesion during every degree of expansion and 
contraction. 

Two other products for special uses are the Bitumastic Cement and 
Bituros Enamel. 

Bitumastic Cement is used principally on shipboard. It is especially 
manufactured for application throughout double bottoms, watertight 
compartments, and bilges of steel vessels in lieu of portland cement. 
Being applied much thinner, Bitumastic Cement will weigh less than 
one-fifth as much as portland cement per square foot, a fact that should 
particularly recommend this material to designers of light-draft vessels. 
The Cement is applied hot by the skilled workmen of the American 
Bitumastic Enamels Co. 

Bituros is a strictly antiseptic composition for use as a permanent 
coating for the interior surfaces of tanks used for the storage of drinking 
water. Bituros is applied hot by the workmen of the American Bitu- 
mastic Enamels Co. It hardens immediately and the tanks are at once 
ready for use. 

The Failuf^e of Paint 

In contrast to the characteristics of Bitumastic Solution and Enamel 
especially adapting them for use as corrosion preventives, the nature 
of red-lead and graphite paints expressly unfits them as dependable 
protective coatings for iron and steel — materials so sensitively suscep- 
tible to rust. 

In the first place paints have a comparatively low initial adhesive 
strength, which grows constantly less and less after application. 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 



Further, ordinary 
paints are not imper- 
vious to external influ- 
ences. The linseed oil 
which is a component 
of red-lead paints is a 
glyceride of fatty acids 
and it may be saponi- 
fied by the action of 
water alone. 

Attention is particu- 
larly directed to the 
great advantages — in 
respect of these features 
— of the Bitumastic 
products, as proved by 
scientific tests. 

Uses of Bitumastic 
Products 

From the character 
of Bitumastic Solution 
and Enamel and the 
functions they perform, 
an idea may be gained 
of their wide scope of 
application. Some of 

the fields in which they have been successfully used may be briefly 
mentioned. 

Marine Work. Protection of inner bottoms, tank tops and bilges, 
peak tanks, coffer dams, bunkers, floors and decks. 

Water Works. Coating of pipe lines and penstocks internally or external- 
ly or both. Bitumastic has found extensive application in filtration plants. 

Sewage Disposal. Bitumastic is a specific against the unusually severe 
corrosive influences obtaining in sewage plants. 




Ash Hopper and Coal Bunker, coated with Bitumastic 

Solution and Enamel. Standard Oil Co. 

Plant No. 1, Cleveland, Ohio 



THE LOGICAL PROTECTION 



Tanks and Stand Pipes. For the permanent protection of tanks and 
stand pipes the Bitumastic products are invaluable. 

Coal Bunkers. Bitumastic Enamel is an ideal protection for coal 
bunkers under the corrosive conditions caused by activity of sulphur in 
coal. 

General Engineering. The marked superiority of the Bitumastic 
products over standard paints makes obvious its value for the protection 
of steel and iron structural work. 

Detailed reports of experience and a more extended discussion of the 
utility of Bitumastic Solution and Enamel in the various fields will be 
found on pages 10-38. 

Comparative Costs 

The ultimate cost of Bitumastic protection is extremely low. The first 
cost is slightly higher than the ordinary painting charge but its life is many 
times longer. In addition to eliminating the cost of repainting at frequent 
intervals, the inconvenience and suspension of work involved with the 
latter are entirely obviated. 

The Bitumastic products furnish permanent protection for permanent 
installations and structures. 

The Logical Protection 

It is clear, however, that the Bitumastic products meet the problem of 
corrosion in the logical way. They offer the engineer a security he cannot 
otherwise attain. 

An opportunity to furnish — without obligation in the slighest degree — 
further information regarding specific uses, and quotations concerning 
the expense involved, will be welcomed by the manufacturers. 



MARINE WORK 

WHEN steel ships first came into general use, it was anticipated 
that extraordinary precautions would have to be taken to 
protect the steel from corrosion, and it was further concluded 
that the outer skin-plating would be the first to deteriorate. This expec- 
tation, however, has not been justified. The outer surfaces of the hull 
being easily accessible, the matter of care has been simple. 

The main difficulty is in corrosion from the inside. Since practically 
all sea-going vessels now have double bottoms, the damage is frequently 
localized in the inner bottom, the locations affected being almost invariably 
in the machinery spaces. 

It is generally recognized that the steel in these spaces is especially 
liable to corrosion and that it is impossible to keep the surfaces protected 
with paint. According to Williams: "There is almost continual presence 
of water in the bilges, and it may be warm and salty, and have in solution 
lye or the soluble salts from ashes, all of which make it more effective 
as an electrolyte. Further, it has mixed with it frequently ashes or oil, 
so that ordinary paint has not much chance of adhering, even if through 
an unusual effort the bilges are dried and cleaned sufficiently to permit of 
them being painted at all. The ashes exert an abrasive effect on the paint, 
and the oil and lye soften and dissolve it." More exacting conditions could 
hardly be imagined. 

To meet such situations — and others similar, as in hold bilges and 
cargo spaces — Bitumastic Enamel was first brought out. It is sufficient 
to say that it has provided permanent protection against corrosion in 
locations as here described. From the most trying test to which a ma- 
terial could be put it has emerged successfully. 

Its continued satisfaction for marine work is attested by the 15,000 
ships in which it has been used. By furnishing adequate protection against 
corrosion it has saved to ship-owners vast sums which would otherwise 
have been expended for patching bottoms and other repairs. Such repairs 
are exceptionally difficult and expensive owing to the necessity for lifting 
boilers and other apparatus in order to execute them. 



UNITED STATES NAVY 



There are many other parts of a ship which profit from protection with 
either Bitumastic Solution or Enamel: bunkers, tanks, engine and boiler 
seatings, peaks, decks, and so forth. 

The practical value of Bitumastic will be best evidenced by data con- 
cerning the ships on which it has been specified and applied. 




R. M. S. Olympic, one of ihe great ocean liners, provides 
further evidence of Bitumastic supremacy 

United States Navy 

Among the ships of the United States Navy to the internal surfaces 
of which Bitumastic Enamel has been applied, may be mentioned the 
following : 

Battleships: Kentucky, Wyoming, Alabama, New York, Kearsarge, 
Texas, Massachusetts, Utah, and Maine. It will be noted that the list 
comprises the most modern ships of the fleet. 

Colliers: Mars, Hector, Vulcan, Cyclops, Neptune, Orion, Ulysses, 
Jason, and Achilles. 



12 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 



United States Army 

For the United States Army, Bitumastic Enamel has been applied on 
the following boats. 

Quartermaster's Boats: General G. W. Getty, General Robert Anderson, 
General Richard Arnold, General Harvey Brown, General R. B. Ayers, 
General J. M. Brennan, General R. H. Jackson, and General A . M. Randall. 

Dredges: Galveston, Savannah, New Orleans, and Raritan. 

British Admiralty 

Bitumastic Enamel has been applied in an impressively large number 
of ships of the British Navy. Its acceptance and continued use by the 
Admiralty constitutes the strongest kind of a recommendation. Among 
the ships are the following: Dreadnought, Vixen, Indefatigable, Jason, 
Jaseurs, Resolution, Revenge, Renard, Royal Oak, Sybille, Upnor, Pegasus, 
Pyramiis, Perseus, Aboukir, Cressy, Good Hope, Russell, Bedford, Blossom, 
Swiftsure, Commonwealth, Leda, Argyle, Birmingham, Queen Mary, Auda- 
cious, Sappho, Niger, Onyx, Albemarle, Amphion, Chatham, Centurion, 
Devon, Fearless, Iphigeni, hitrepid. King George V, Naiad, Nottingham, 
Vindictive, Spar- 
tiate, Edgar, Iron 
Duke, Seagull, 
Spanker, Blake, 
Alexandra, En- 
chantress, Ajax, 
Spider, Sparrow, 
Volcano, Essex, 
and Exmouth. 

If^ork for 
Other Navies 

Bitumastic En- 
amel has been _ - ' ' 
applied for other c^' _ _ 
navies as follows : _ "-^---%- ^nTo-wT- ««» 

Russian Govern- H. M. S. Queen Mary, protected 

ment, H.I. M.S. with Bitumastic 




MERCHANT MARINE 



13 




The dangers of corrosion on board the R. M.S. 

Mauretania have been eliminated by the 

use of Bitumastic Enamel 

Eagle; Austrian Government, H. I. M. S. Planet; Argentine Republic, 
Patria; Norwegian Government, two cruisers; Japanese Government, 
two cruisers; Chinese Government, one cruiser; Roumanian Government, 
one cruiser; Indian Government, troopship Dufferin; ItaHan Govern- 
ment, twenty submarines. 

Merchant Marine 

Bitumastic has found extensive appHcation in the leading merchant 
vessels and passenger liners. The St. Louis and St. Paul of the American 
Line were protected internally with the Enamel when built in 1895. 
There have been no renewals in twenty years, and the parts coated are 
still in perfect condition. 

An idea of Bitumastic supremacy in this field may be gained from 
noting the following among the extensive list of ships in which it was 



14 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 



specified and used: Imperator, Mauretania, Aquitania, and Olympic. 
Bitumastic Enamel has been applied for various leading steamship 
companies to the number of vessels specified: Cunard Steamship Line, 35; 
White Star Line, 30; American Line, 12; Hamburg- American Line, 8; 
Standard Oil Company, 21; American-Hawaiian Steamship Company, 23; 
British India S. N. Company, 38; Peninsula & Oriental Lund Line, 39; 
Royal Mail S. P. Company, 20; 'Adria,' Hungarian S. N. Company, 30; 
Indo-China S. N., 15; Prince Line, 38; Anglo-American Oil Company, 31; 
Edward Hain & Son, 35; Evan Thomas Radcliffe & Company, 3Z; Cana- 




Pontoon Dock at North Shields, England — 

showing 24 years of perfect corrosion 

prevention by Bitumastic Enamel 

dian Pacific Railway, 6; Great Western Railway Company, 7; Port of 
London Authority, 12; Union S. S. Company, New Zealand, 18; Finska 
Company, 14; Eagle Oil Company, 5 ; Merchants & Miners Transportation 
Company, 9; Southern Pacific Company, 10; New England Coal & Coke 
Company, 4; Companhia Nacional de Costeiroa, 8; Manchester Liners, 15 ; 
Allan Line, 8; Shaw, Savill & Albion Company, Ltd., 12; Union Castle 
Line, 15; and London County Council, 30. 



DRY DOCKS AND PONTOONS 



15 



Dry Docks and Pontoons 

The spectacular record of Bitumastic on the Smith Pontoon Dock at 
North Shields, England, has already been mentioned. In order fully to 
appreciate the significance of the protection afforded by the Enamel, 
attention is directed to the following description, by Civil Engineer 
Leonard N. Cox of the United States Navy, of the conditions obtaining 
inside a pontoon. 

It will be seen, therefore, that the outside of a steel dock does not suffer extraor- 
dinary deteriora- 
tion and is compar- 
atively easily cared 
for, but, on the 
other hand, the in- 
side — and in par- 
ticular the inside 
of pontoons — pre- 
sents an entirely 
different set of con- 
ditions. Continu- 
ally wet, inacces- 
sible, dark, filled 
with stagnant air, 
it is almost impos- 
sible to paint them 
properly. Corro- 
sion takes place at 
a rapid rate, and 
everlasting trouble 
and difficulty, to 
say nothing of ex- 
pense, is the logical result. It may not be an exaggeration to assert that 
nine-tenths of the entire deterioration, and the same proportion of upkeep 
charges, do or should originate in the interior of pontoons. 

The owners of the dock in question in 1912 wrote to a disinterested 
municipal water department a letter of which the following is an extract. 

The inside of our first pontoon, also the outside sides and ends of the pontoon, 
were coated twenty years ago with Wailes, Dove & Co.'s Bitumastic Solution 




King George V in Admiralty Dry Dock. Both 
dock and ship coated with Bitumastic 



i6 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 




Dry Dock Dewey — Bitumastic Enamel has 

withstood conditions under which other 

compositions failed completely 

and Enamel. They gave us four years' guarantee, but at the end of four years it 
was not convenient for us to Hft the pontoon as we were very busy, so we allowed 
it to remain six years undocked. At the end of that time Wailes, Dove offered 
to put it right just as if it had been lifted at the end of four years. We then 
washed the pontoon out with the hose, and found it was practically perfect. 
Wailes, Dove touched up small wants with Bitumastic. Since then we have, 
from time to time, lifted the pontoon, washed it out, and found it perfectly 
good, so that we have spent nothing whatever in coating the inside of it except 
the original cost. 

The United States Dry Dock Dewey had its interior surfaces coated 
with Bitumastic Enamel in 1905 at the yards of the Maryland Steel 
Company, Sparrows Point, Md. The dock was then towed to the 
Philippines where it is now stationed. 

An inspection of the Dewey made eight years later by a naval engi- 
neer showed that practically the only parts of the dock to withstand the 
severely corrosive action of tropical waters and atmosphere were those 
parts protected by the Enamel. The report disclosed "a considerable 



DRY DOCKS AND PONTOONS 



17 



amount of deterioration of all exposed metal in the interior of pontoons, 
except that part covered by Bitumastic Enamel, which was found to be 
apparently unchanged." 

This success has been acknowledged in a very practical way by the 
specification of Bitumastic for application to other parts of the dock. 

All the external and internal surfaces of the largest British floating dry 
dock, recently built for the Admiralty, were coated with Bitumastic 
Enamel. 

Other details regarding marine work might be cited, but the records 
here mentioned will furnish an adequate basis for gauging the unques- 
tioned reliability of Bitumastic for the prevention of corrosion. 




r p-Q-ij^tN^ cc. 



City of Detroit, a mammoth passenger vessel 

on the Great Lakes — Bitumastic 

specified and used 



WATER WORKS 

HYDRAULIC engineers and water works superintendents encounter 
grave difficulty in protecting pipe lines from corrosion. Exterior 
damage due to electrolysis and interior corrosion in the form of 
tuberculation present the most serious problems. 

It is well known that the ordinary 'coal tar dip' prevents tuberculation 
for but a very short time. The carrying capacity of the pipe is impaired 
by corrosion of the metal. 

Scraping the pipes to remove the tubercles is inadvisable, as the incrusta- 
tions begin to grow again with renewed activity — nearly three times as 
fast as before scraping — and the life of the pipe is greatly reduced by the 
more rapid corrosion of the metal. 

That the soft bituminous pipe 'dips' seldom withstand exposure to the 
heat of the sun without flowing, and that they deteriorate within a very 
few years when buried in moist soil, is the experience of most engineers. 

The extensive abrasion of the coating, which invariably occurs between 
the dipping at the factory and the laying of the pipe — in some instances 
a year apart — is a serious objection to this process of coating the pipes at 
the point of fabrication. The field coat of paint applied to abraded sur- 
faces and around the joints offers but feeble protection. 

These difficulties are entirely obviated by the Bitumastic method of 
applying the coating on the job, directly before pipes are lowered into 
the trench or sometimes, in the case of very large conduits, after laying. 
All the joints after riveting and any points abraded in lowering the pipes 
receive the heavy coating of Enamel, thus insuring uniformly perfect 
insulation for all parts of the line before backfilling. 

Catskill Aqueduct 

In the tremendous project of tapping a new source of water supply for 
New York City by the construction of the Catskill Aqueduct, there was 
carried through one of the greatest feats of modern hydraulic engineering. 

On appropriate features of this construction Bitumastic Enamel was 
used as the protective coating. These items comprised the drainage 



THE NARROWS SIPHON 



19 




Cradle for lowering pipe line of 
the Narrows Siphon 

floats of siphons of the Aqueduct, and all the cast iron piping within the 
valve chambers in New York City. 

In addition 4,000 linear feet of 66-in. steel main in the Borough of 
Brooklyn were coated inside and outside with the Enamel. 

Before specifying Bitumastic, the Board of Water Supply made an 
extensive study of protective coverings, and looked up most carefully the 
records of Bitumastic Enamel on other work, both in the United States 
and abroad. 

The Narrows Siphon 

In connection with the Catskill water supply it became necessary to 
pipe water to Staten Island, across the Narrows from Brooklyn. To ac- 
complish this there was executed a unique piece of engineering. A siphon 
was laid, consisting of 10,000 feet of 36-in. flexible joint cast iron pipe. 



20 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 




Pipe jointing machine on 
Narrows Siphon project 

Some of the unusual features of the construction deserve mention. 
An elaborate floating plant, consisting essentially of a scow and a huge, 
curved, structural steel cradle or skidway, extending to the harbor bot- 
tom and weighing 60 tons, was employed for placing the pipe. This 



BALTIMORE WATER IMPROVEMENT 



21 



process is shown in the accompanying drawing. The jointing of the 
sections of pipe with molten lead — 300 lb. to the joint — was done at the 
surface and, as successive additions were made to the line, the scow was 
pulled forward, allowing the pipe to slide down the cradle and into place 
in the dredged trench. It was necessary to take into account strong 
tidal currents and to guard against the imminent danger of collision with 
passing vessels. Over 600,000 cu. yd. of material were dredged at great 
depth, 74 ft. in one section of the line. 

The permanent protection of an important line laid at such expense 
would obviously be a matter of great moment. Bitumastic products were 
quite appropriately selected for this use. The pipe sections were coated 
inside and out with the Solution before leaving the shops where they were 
made, and received a second coat of Solution and one coat of Enamel on 
arrival at the work. The land approaches — 2000 linear feet — were also 
coated with Bitumastic. 




Baltimore 84-inch steel main, coated 
'on the job' just before laying 

Baltimore IVater Improvement 

For the Baltimore Board of Water Supply, steel elbows in connection 
with concrete pipe in the old Clifton Conduit were coated internally and 
externally with Bitumastic Enamel. Later, 4,000 linear feet of a new 



22 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 



84-in. steel main were coated 
internally. The Baltimore de- 
cision was arrived at after a 
thorough investigation. 

Auxiliary Salt Water 
Fire System 

As a result of a number of 
tests made by the City Engi- 
neer's ofhce, three coats of Bitu- 
mastic Solution were specified 
for application both internal 
and external to all gate valves 
and hydrants for the auxiliary 
salt water fire system of the 
City of San FVancisco. 

Two English Installations 

In 1909, 71^ miles of 40-in. 
penstock at Kinlochleven, Scot- 
land, were coated externally 

Penstocks of the largest water power company ^J^J^ Bitumastic Solution. The 




in Great Britain — coated externally 



work was done for the largest 



with Bitumastic Solution 

water power company in the 
United Kingdom. The surfaces are still in good condition. 

In 1911, 43^ miles of steel penstock were coated externally with Bitu- 
mastic Solution for the North Wales Power Co. As in the Kinlochleven 
Line, the pipes are above ground. 

Stand Pipes 

The protection of the inside surfaces of stand pipes is a matter which 
deserves serious consideration by those responsible for the construction 
and maintenance of a municipal water system. The fact that these pipes 
have to be emptied and painted every few years increases the cost of 
maintenance considerably, not to mention the inconvenience and 



WATE R TANKS 



23 



additional cost in most cases of having to pump direct into the mains. 

The conclusion is unanimous among experienced engineers and super- 
intendents that ordinary paints furnish scant and brief protection. De- 
terioration is continually in progress and on examination after a few 
years of service paint-treated stand pipes will be found in a badly corroded 
condition. Scaling frequently weakens the steel structurally to the point 
of failure. 

Where Bitumastic Enamel is applied on the inside surfaces no further 
attention is necessary, and the need for repairs is obviated. 



Water Tanks 

Bitumastic offers practical 
and permanent protection 
for water tanks, used almost 
universally for general stor- 
age and supply purposes in 
factories, apartment houses, 
ofifice buildings, and the like. 

The usual practice is to 
paint the interior surfaces of 
water tanks, but such protec- 
tion has been found to be in- 
effective. The paint saponi- 
fies, cracks, and peals, and 
leaves the tank surface ex- 
posed to the action of the 
water. As the sides are alter- 
nately wet and dry the condi- 
tions are such as exceptionally 
to predispose to corrosion. 

In the absence of frequent 
and regular inspections, rust- 
ing and tuberculation may 
proceed so rapidly as to unfit 
a tank for further use within 
a very short time. 



H&*.- 




Standpipe of Edison Co. at Long 

Beach, Cal., protected by 

Bitumastic Solution 



24 THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 

Bitumastic does not act on and is not acted upon by the water, and 
thus furnishes a hygienic Hning as well as an effective rust-preventive. 

Bitumastic Enamel has been used on the tanks of many well-known 
buildings and plants. In addition to the purposes already mentioned it is 
recommended for the following: gravity tanks on roofs of buildings for 
sprinkler purposes, pressure tanks for pressure sprinkler purposes, ice 
tanks for refrigerator plants, tanks for water-softening purposes, brine 
tanks, drinking water tanks, swimming pool tanks, and pneumatic tanks 
for pneumatic hydraulic systems in private and public buildings. 

A powerful and significant endorsement of Bitumastic Enamel as a 
protective coating lies in its adoption by a leading manufacturer of 
tanks for application to a line of "rust-proof enameled tanks" which 
are now on the market. This manufacturer took an order several years 
ago for two tanks painted inside, the paint to be guaranteed for eight- 
een months. They anticipated no difificulty in buying a good paint with 
the requisite guarantee from its makers as to durability. But this was 
not easy. In their own words: "We tried almost every paint concern 
which we knew, or could learn of, leaning principally to those who bore 
a good reputation as manufacturers of technical paints. We could not 
secure the guarantee we sought. None of these manufacturers would 
guarantee their paints under the conditions stipulated for eighteen days, 
let alone eighteen months." This experience started them on a careful 
study of rust and its prevention and eventually led to the adoption of 
Bitumastic Enamel. The concern now uses Bitumastic Enamel on all 
their rustless and leak-proof tanks. 

For the individual tank owner, the advantages of Bitumastic are just 
as evident and economical. 

Baltimore -Filtration Plant 

The Montebello Filtration Plant at Baltimore is the second largest in 
the world. The 5-ft. concrete delivery pipe line of the pumping station, 
and the control gates admitting water to the filter beds are coated with 
Bitumastic Enamel. 



T 



SEWAGE PLANTS 

HAT Bitumastic Enamel furnishes perfect protection against the 
exceptionally destructive action of sewage on iron and steel will 
be shown by reports of actual experience. 



Glasgow Sewage IVorks 

In 1904, all the interior surfaces of the sludge tanks at the Dalmuir 
Works of the Glasgow (Scotland) Sewage Department were coated with 
Bitumastic Enamel. After seven years of constant use the general man- 




Sludge beds at Glasgow sewage works 

ager reported that they were in perfect order. He also stated that "the 
sludge tanks on the SS. Dalmuir, coated in the same year [1904], are highly 
satisfactory. Similar tanks at the Shieldhall Works coated with your 
Enamel in 1910, as also the tanks of the SS. Shieldhall, although subject 
to very rough treatment, are in first class order." 



26 THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 

London Sewage Tubes 

In 1910 four large steel sewage tubes (oval 9x6 ft.) were coated with 
Bitumastic Enamel for the London City Council. Their service has been 
satisfactory. 

Iron in Contact with Sewage 

A letter from a municipal engineering authority tells of experience with 
Bitumastic Solution in two instances. The following extract is quoted. 

I commenced using Bitumastic Solution on steel tipping carts in 1906. Prior 
to that I used various other solutions, but entirely without success. Each cart 
became so corroded that the corrosion scaled off % inch thick. The bodies 
of the carts were then replated with % inch steel plates, costing from $50 to $65 
per cart. The joints between the plates and angle irons were well coated with 
Solution, and after the plating was completed, the whole body received two coats 
of Bitumastic Solution, since which time they have been coated in a similar 
manner twice each year, with the result that all corrosion has stopped and the 
cost of maintenance has been for Solution only. 

In May, 1909, the ironwork in connection with the liquifying tanks at the 
Sewage Farm and the suction pipes at the Pumping Station had begun to corrode. 
The surfaces were all scraped and cleaned and the whole of the ironwork including 
penstocks, valves, tank sewer, and sewage screen, received two coats of Bitumastic 
Solution. The result is that to-day the whole of the iron work is in good condi- 
tion. 

My experience of your Solution is that it gives good protection to all iron 
work coming in contact with crude sewage. 



GENERAL ENGINEERING 

The Panama Canal 

The Panama Canal is generally— and quite properly— regarded as the 
most distinguished engineering accomplishment of modern times. The 
details of its construction were worked out by an engineering staff of 
unusual ability, and all the materials used were subjected to the closest 
scrutiny. 

There is a great deal of steel work on the Canal, notably in the lock 
gates and machinery, and all metal work had to be fortified against the 
most severe corrosive influences. 




Gatun upper locks, Panama Canal, 
in course of construction 



28 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 




103^ ft. steel penstocks, hydro-electric plant, 

Panama Canal, coated with Bitumastic 

Solution and Enamel 



It is therefore especially noteworthy that Bitumastic Enamel was 
specified for use on the interior surfaces of the 46 lock gates, being selected 
in competition with many other products. The lower half of each gate is 
an air chamber into which water will rarely enter; while the upper half 
is a water chamber, which is filled and emptied a number of times daily 
during the process of locking, offering the most destructively corrosive 
conditions to which steel could be subjected. 

At first it was planned to apply the Enamel to a portion of the interior 
surfaces, but later the specifications were amended to embrace applica- 
tion to all of them. 

Over 3,200,000 square feet, comprising the entire interior surfaces of 
the gates, were thus coated with Bitumastic Enamel. Though the work 
was performed under the most trying climatic and physical conditions, 
the contract was completed on time, and to the complete satisfaction of 
the Canal authorities. 

This first contract was awarded largely on the record which Bitumastic 
had made in the United States Navy and on its actual performance in the 
protection of two dredges, coated in the United States, which were in use 
on the Canal. 



STRUCTURAL STEEL 



29 



The water of Gatun Lake turned out to be unusually corrosive, con- 
taining considerable sulphurated hydrogen, organic matter and so forth. 
It was originally planned to coat the exterior of the gates with 'non- 
corrosive' paints. A narrow strip of Bitumastic was applied as a sample 
to a portion of the surface under water at the time the painting was 
done. In the course of a very short time the paints broke down while the 
Bitumastic Enamel stood up perfectly. 

According to Governor Goethals' report: "Due to impurities in the 
water of Gatun Lake, none of the paints except the Bitumastic, which was 
applied directly to the metal on small sections of several of the gates at 
Gatun, has proved satisfactory, and the paint on those parts which are 
constantly under water is in very poor condition." 

As a result of this experience it was decided also to apply Bitu- 
mastic Enamel to the outside of the gates below the water line. The 
work on this contract is now in progress. 

The Canal engineers were so 
satisfied with their first trial of 
Bitumastic that it has likewise 
been specified on five additional 
contracts in connection with 
the construction: one steel 
caisson, 57 automatic gas 
buoys, 92 anchorage boxes, con- 
crete waterproofing on top of 
all gate leaves, interior surfaces 
of the 10}^-h. steel penstocks 
of the hydro-electric plant, and 
105 Stoney Gate Valves. 

Structural Steel 

Bitumastic Solution furnish- 
es splendid protection for 
structural steel. 

The engineer charged with 
maintenance of the Wearmouth c, , , c+ 1 ^ j vu 

Structural Steel coated with 

Bridge, Sunderland, England, Bitumastic Solution 




30 THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 

which was coated with Bitumastic Solution, writes under date of January 
26, 1910: 

It has adhered to the steel so well that after three years it shows no appreciable 
deterioration, and in some places is as glossy and plastic as the day it was put on. 

The bridge is due for painting this year but your Bitumastic has been so 
effective that I have recommended my Committee to put off painting the deck- 
ing for two years at least. 

I also use your Solution for coating the inside of street watering vans with most 
beneficial results. I can recommend your Bitumastic Solution with every con- 
fidence for coating steel work. 

Liverpool Elevated Railway 

For the past nineteen years Bitumastic Solution has been used on the 
structure of the Liverpool Overhead Railway. The general manager has 
commented on its service as follows: 

Its spreading qualities are satisfactory, and that point, together with its last- 
ing qualities, more than justifies the price. Engineers are too much inclined to 
overlook the fact that the cost of labor exceeds the cost of materials. 

This railway is exposed to the action of sea air, and also during the past five 
years to the fumes from the Dock Railway locomotives running underneath; 
this your Solution had not to contend with when I first used it. Even under 
these most severe conditions, the Solution has proved satisfactory and I know 
of no composition to better resist the fumes of locomotives. 

On Colliery Structures 

The General Manager of the Sneyd Collieries, Ltd., Burslem, England, 
writes under date of September 18, 1913, to the following effect: 

We have pleasure in testifying to the excellent properties of your Bitumastic 
Solution, for the protection of steel, iron and wooden structures at the Colliery. 

The whole of the surface structures were first painted with this material in 1908, 
and the result has been so satisfactory that we had no hesitation in deciding to 
use your Solution again when re-painting this year. 

Much of the work would have stood for several years longer, and on all steel 
structures, including head-gears, which had been previously treated with the 
Solution, it has only been found necessary to apply one coat. 

From our experience, we certainly consider the Bitumastic Solution far superior 
to oil paint for the class of work mentioned. 



SHEETSTEELPILING 31 

Sheet Iron Buildings 

Experiments made with Bitumastic Solution showed it to furnish ideal 
protection for corrugated buildings exposed to tropical sun and sea air. 
According to the Master Mechanic of the Mexican Lighthouse Depart- 
ment : " Notwithstanding the experiments being made in Vera Cruz, where 
the sea air attacks and destroys with great rapidity all iron structures, 
and at the same time the sun toasts all paints, causing these to crack and 
to raise up in cakes and creases, the Solution has remained intact, as much 
against sea-air as the heat from the sun, it being proved that it has great 
elasticity and keeps perfectly adhered to the roofing." 

ff^ at er proofing Concrete 

Bitumastic Enamel is perfectly adapted for waterproofing and protect- 
ing concrete or porous stone surfaces. It forms a strong and permanent 
bond, and yet will expand and contract in unison with the structure. 

Sheet Steel Piling 

The use of sheet steel piling is becoming more and more general in 
permanent construction work, such as retaining walls, dams, docks, sea 
walls, bulkheads, locks, irrigation and reclamation work levees and the 
like. Especially in instances where such piling is exposed to continuous 
or intermittent wetting from surrounding water or earth containing 
highly corrosive elements, some provision for corrosion prevention becomes 
essential to permanency. 

Experience seems to show that steel in deep penetration, below the at- 
mospheric line, is not subjected to any serious extent, throughout the 
lower portions at least, to the action of free oxygen and consequently does 
not rust seriously. But above this point — when exposed to corrosive 
influences — the permanent protection of the piling must be provided for. 

The Lackawanna Steel Company, which has had wide experience with 
sheet steel piling, has made a study of this question. Its engineers became 
interested in Bitumastic Enamel and, after a thorough investigation, 
decided that this material was admirably adapted for use as a permanent 
covering. The only point of doubt was as to whether piling thus coated 
could be driven without abrading the Enamel. A series of tests was made 
to decide this question. 



32 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 





Steel Piles 
Before Driving After Driving 

Pieces of sheet steel piling (7-in. straight-web, 12^-in. straight-web, 
and 14-in. arch-web; 12 ft. to 18 ft. in length) were coated with Bitumastic 
Enamel, set up, and driven into ground giving hard penetration and abra- 
sive action. The tests proved conclusively that the Bitumastic Enamel, 
so great was its adhesive capacity, was not broken or abraded in driving 
or pulling of piles. 

For use on sheet steel piling, the specific advantage of Bitumastic 
Enamel over paint is its permanence and reliability of protection; over 
cement that its cost is approximately 90% less. 



INDUSTRIAL PLANTS 



OWING to the splendid protection they provide for iron and steel, 
Bitumastic Solution and Enamel find extensive application in all 
industrial plants. The uses are so numerous that it will not 
be possible to discuss them in detail, but some installations may be 
briefly mentioned. 
Correspondence re- 
garding individual re- 
quirements is cordially 
solicited, and as the 
manufacturers are 
jealous of Bitumastic 
reputation, it will be 
advised for use only 
in instances where it 
can be depended upon 
confidently. 

Coal Bunkers 

Corrosive condi- 
tions in bunkers are 
caused principally by 
the activity of the sul- 
phur in coal, stimu- 
lated by alternate 
wetting and drying. 

Bitumastic has been 
extensively used in 
coal bunkers on ship- 
board and has given 
excellent satisfaction, 
as shown by the sec- 

, Interior view of elliptical coal bunker 

tion on marme work, coated with Bitumastic Enamel 

and lined with vitrified tile 




34 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 




Interior view of coal bunker, Cleveland Municipal 

Electric Light Plant, lined with Bitumastic 

Solution and Enamel 



pages 10-17. 
on shore. 



It is coming to be more and more widely used for bunkers 



Refrigeration 

The Secretary of the Northern Counties Ice Making and Cold Stores 
Co., Ltd., of Newcastle-on-Tyne, England, writes of his experience as 
follows : 

I am pleased to inform you that the ammonia condenser tank and fresh water 
tank on the roof of our building which were coated with your Bitumastic Enamel 
about five to six years ago, have kept very well. We have just recently been 
touching them up with Solution for the first time. 

The coils, both in our ammonia condenser and in the brine coolers, are in 
first class order — these having been coated with your Solution only. 



REFRIGERATION AND OTHER USES 



35 



The engineer of 
one of the largest 
ice skating rinks in 
Scotland testifies 
that " Bitumastic 
Solution is the eas- 
iest to apply and 
sticks the best. It 
is far superior to 
any tar mixture." 
The rink contains 
two miles of 2-in. 
piping covered with 
two coats of solu- 
tion. 

Other Uses 

The Bitumastic 
products will also 
be found useful in 
chemical and dye 
works, sugar refiner- 
ies, pulp and paper 
mills, coal mines, 
sulphur producers, 
gas plants, and 
other lines of manu- 
facturing. 




Cooling Tower, Celluloid Company, 
Newark, N. J. 



I 



ACIDS AND ALKALIS 

N addition to preventing corrosion by water and moisture it is found 
that Bitumastic Solution and Enamel have a high resistance to acids 
and alkalis, thus fitting them for special varied requirements. 



Pipe Line in Alkali Soil 

Corrosion is much more rapid in soil containing even a small amount of 
soluble salts such as magnesium chloride, sodium carbonate and sodium 




Alachine coating pipe of 
Shell Oil Company 

nitrate. These salts cannot affect steel when the soil is perfectly dry, but 
only when brought into solution by the wetting of the soil. 

In 1909 it was desired to protect from corrosion 90 miles of oil pipe line 
operated by the Producers' Transportation Co., which passed through 
territory of strongly alkaline soil in the Kern River oil district of Cali- 



PIPE LINE IN ALKALI SOIL 



37 



fornia. Before using Bitumastic they had the Enamel tested by Smith 
Emery & Co., Inc., of San Francisco, a firm of testing and chemical engi- 
neers, to see if it would afford the necessary protection. 

Strips of Iron were coated with Bitumastic Enamel and were immersed 
in solutions as specified below for 14 days at room temperature, with 
results as recorded : 

Solutions Bitumastic Enamel 

Sulphuric acid, 1% Unaffected 

Chloride solution, 3.3% calcium chloride 

and 3.3% magnesium chloride Unaffected 

Alkaline sulphate solution, 3.3% sodium 

carbonate, and i.i% potassium 

carbonate Unaffected 

The sections of the line exposed to the most severe conditions were 
coated with both Bitumastic Solution and Enamel, the balance being 
protected with Solution only. Though the line is flooded regularly each 
year, an inspection three years later showed the parts covered with Bitu- 
mastic Enamel to be "without a sign of corrosion." 

A number of other bituminous paints were put on various sections of 
the line during the construction period, but it was found necessary to take 
these up and coat them with Bitumastic after 15 months. 




Pipe Coating Crew of Hill, Hubbell & Co., 
Pacific Coast agents for Bitumastic 



38 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 



Shell Oil Pipe Line 

The pipe line of the Shell Oil Company, 175 miles long (115 miles 
8-inch pipe, balance 10-inch pipe), has just been coated with Bitumastic 
Solution and Enamel. Sanderson & Porter of San Francisco and New 
York were the engineers. 

The line extends from Colinga to Martinez, California. It runs through 
extremely alkaline soil. 




Map showing Shell Oil Company's 
Colinga-Martinez Pipe Line 



SCIENTIFIC TESTS AND DETERMINATIONS 

Report on Fourteen Years* Exposure 

There is given herewith the report of J. E. Stead, of Pattinson & Stead, 
analysts and metallurgists of Middlesborough, England, on the results 
of exposure for 14 years of a steel plate coated with Bitumastic Enamel. 
The report is dated June 11, 1909. 

I herewith enclose photographs of two sides of 5-6 in. steel plates, 2 ft. 6 in. 
square, coated with your Bitumastic Enamel, after about fourteen years' ex- 
posure in the open air in the back yard of my laboratory. 

The plate was coated on one side with an enamel-like covering (Bitumastic 
Enamel), and on the other with a rather rough covering. This is seen in the 
photographs. 

The end of the plate which rested on the ground, where it was practically 
continuously wet, and the edges which had been chipped by rather rough usage, 
had suffered, but on 99% of the whole area the coating is perfect, and the metal 
perfectly protected. 

A careful examination of the parts where rusting had occurred, under the point 
A, revealed the interesting fact that the exposed portions of the metal had been 
reduced in thickness nearly 30% by rusting. 

Had the edges been properly coated — as the faces of the plate — and had the 
plate been free from rough usage, I have little doubt that practically no corrosion 
would have resulted. 

Tests of Binding Strength 

Tests to show the binding strength of Bitumastic Solution and Enamel 
were made by the Pittsburgh Testing Laboratory, and reported upon by 
them under date of November 11, 1912. The results show their very 
strongly adhesive capacities. 

Lab. No. 36575. Concrete block, age 60 days, of 2-4-6 mixture, with "^i-in. 
round steel rod extending through and imbedded in concrete block fifteen inches 
in length, with seven inches of concrete on each side of said rod, was supported 
in testing machine 6-in. x 8-in. cast iron blocks of sufficient height to allow 
end of steel rod at bottom of block to be free. Load was then applied to upper 



40 THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 

end of rod extending two inches above concrete block. At load of 2,400 lb. bond 
between steel and concrete was broken and rod started to slip through concrete. 

Lab. No. 36576. This test was repeated on another specimen under exactly 
the same conditions except that the rod was coated with Bitumastic Enamel, 
from % in. to }i in. in thickness. At a load of 5,200 lb. the bond between the 
rod and the concrete was broken and the rod started to slip through the concrete. 

Lah. No. 36577. This test was again repeated on another specimen under 
exactly the same conditions except that the rod was coated with two coats of 
Bitumastic Solution. At a load of 6300 lb. bond between the rod and the con- 
crete was broken and rod started to slip through concrete. 

Crushing Tests on Enamel 

Crushing tests on Bitumastic Enamel were made by the Pittsburgh 
Testing Laboratory and reported upon by them under date of September 
26, 1910, as follows: 

Lab. No. 31522. A load of 200,000 lb. was applied on the Bitumastic Enamel 
coating, 3^ in. thick, on steel plate [12 x 12 x 3^ in.], and when load was removed, 
it showed that the Bitumastic Enamel had compressed, but showed no sign of 
cracks. The bond between the Bitumastic Enamel and the steel was not de- 
stroyed. 

A 334-in. steel disc was then placed on the Bitumastic Enamel and a 200,000-lb. 
load was applied. The steel disc was compressed into the Bitumastic Enamel 
about 3^ in. When the steel disc was removed, the Bitumastic Enamel under 
the disc was cracked on the surface, but not through to the steel and around the 
edge it showed no sign of cracks. 

Another test was made on a slab of Bitumastic Enamel between layers 
of concrete. The report follows : 

Lab. No. 31525. After a load of 142,000 lb. had been applied on slab the con- 
crete started to fail. The load was increased until 200,000 lb. was applied, and 
the load was released. On examination the concrete was cracked and the bond 
of same with Bitumastic Enamel was broken, but the layer of Bitumastic Enamel 
seemed to be in good condition. 

Dielectric Qualities of Bitumastic 

In view of the electrolytic aspect of corrosion the insulating capacity 
of a protective coating figures largely in determining its efficiency. 



DIELECTRIC QUALITIES OF BITU MASTIC 41 

Bitumastic Enamel of normal thickness of application can be depended 
on to withstand at least 14,000 volts without puncture, thus having an 
extremely high dielectric capacity. Bitumastic Solution normally with- 
stands nearly 5,000 volts. 

These statements are derived from careful tests made by the Electrical 
Testing Laboratory of New York. The full data of the experiments are 
given in the following reports by that laboratory. 

BITUMASTIC ENAMEL 

General. One sample (three specimens) of a black insulating material was 
submitted for tests. Two of the specimens had been prepared by dipping strips 
of brass about 1^^ inches wide into the insulating material. The third specimen 
was prepared by making a small rectangular disc about 2 inches wide, 2^ inches 
long and ^ inch thick. 

Tests and Methods. The strip specimens were tested under oil by applying 
the voltage to the brass strips and to a blunt needle point resting on the surface 
of the insulation. The disc was tested under oil and between two blunt needle 
points placed directly, opposite each other. 

The voltage was applied at a low value and raised gradually until puncture 
occurred. 

Due to the rough and uneven surfaces of the specimens the thickness of the 
insulation was measured with difficulty and hence the results given in 'Volts per 
Mir are only approximate. 

The thickness of the insulation on the brass strips was determined by measur- 
ing the over-all thickness and then scraping off the insulation on one side at the 
spot where the puncture occurred and again measuring the thickness, the differ- 
ence between the two measurements being the thickness of the punctured insu- 
lation. 

Apparatus. Current was supplied by a 10 k.v.a. transformer having a ratio 
of 520 to 1 and receiving energy from a 60-cycle, 120-volts circuit, the wave form 
of which is practically a sine curve. 

Voltage was measured by means of a voltmeter connected across the low 
tension side in connection with the ratio of transformation. This is frequently 
checked with an electrostatic voltmeter placed directly across the high tension 
side. 

Voltage values given are mean effective (square root of mean square) and are 
not maximum values. 



42 



THE PREVENTION OF CORROSION 



Data. Result of Tests 



Test 


Spec. 


F0//5 a^ 


Thickness 


Volts per 


No. 


No. 


Puncture 


Mils 




Mil\ 


1 


1 


23400 


79 




295 


2 


1 


12500 


68 




185 


3 


1 


14000 


74 




190 


4 


2 


13500 


79 




170 


5 


2 


12500 


49 




255 


6 


2 


18200 


53 




345 


7 


3 


71100 


393 


Average 


180 
230 



BITUMASTIC ENAMEL 

General. One sample of black insulating material in the form of test specimen 
made by dipping a sheet of paper, commonly called 'Onion Skin' into the insulat- 
ing material, was submitted for tests. A sample of the 'onion skin' paper similar 
to that used to prepare the test specimen was subjected to the same tests as the 
dipped specimen. 

Tests and Methods. Each sample was tested in air between one inch discs 
having rounded edges. 

The voltage was applied to the discs at a low value and raised gradually until 
puncture occurred. 

Apparatus. Current was supplied for the test on the insulating material by a 
k.v.a. transformer having a ratio of 244 to 1 and for the test on the paper 
itself by a 3 k.v.a. transformer having a ratio of 10 to 1. Both transformers 
received energy from a 60-cycle, 120 volt circuit, the wave form of which is 
practically a sine curve. 

Voltage was measured by means of a voltmeter connected across the low 
tension side in connection with the ratio of transformation. This is frequently 
checked with an electrostatic voltmeter placed directly across the high tension 
side. 

Voltage values given are mean effective (square root of mean square) and are 
not maximum values. 



fReported to the nearest five volts. 



DIELECTRIC QUALITIES OF BITUMASTIC 



43 



Data. Results of Tests 



Tests on Dipped Specimen 
(Onion Skin paper plus insulation) 



Test 
No. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 
10 



Volts at 
Puncture 
5400 
5100 
4400 
4400 
5100 
4600 
4900 
4900 
4900 
5100 



Tests on Onion Skin Paper 



Test 


Volts at 


No. 


Puncture 


1 


600 


2 


500 


3 


660 


4 


640 


5 


660 


6 


530 


7 


540 


8 


610 


9 


671 


10 


570 




Average 600 



Average 4900 

Thickness, Mils. 

Dipped specimen (Average of 10 measurements) 10.3 

Onion Skin paper (Average of 10 measurements) 2.0 



If it is assumed that the insulating compound does not penetrate the paper to 
any appreciable extent, the dielectric strength of the compound in volts per 
mil is 4300 volts (4900—600) divided by 8.3 mils (10.3—2.0), or 520 volts per mil. 



APPLICATION 



Bitumastic Enamel 



Bitumastic Enamel is a solidified bituminous composition applied hot — 
always by the trained workmen of the American Bitumastic Enamels Co. — 
to any thickness desired, forming a bright black coating which hardens 
immediately. 

The application of the Enamel is not merely a matter of painting the 
steel, but involves a process based on scientific principles. 

The surface to be coated is first thoroughly cleaned of any rust, scale, 
grease or moisture, and is then given a priming coat of Bitumastic Solution 
applied cold, which is allowed to dry from twelve to twenty-four hours. 
The Bitumastic Enamel is then broken up and melted, being heated to 
about 380° F. and brushed on while in the molten state. 

Owing to its exceptionally adhesive and penetrating nature the priming 
coat of Solution forms a perfect and intimate bond with the steel, and the 
base of the two coatings being identical, they combine, the result being a 
hard, heavy and elastic coating, which is absolutely impervious and 
practically indestructible. 

Organization 

Bitumastic Enamel is the most efficient corrosion preventive known. 
Its application is difficult, yet on its proper application depends to a 
large extent its remarkable efficiency. 

To meet the requirements adequately and to furnish satisfactory 
service to customers, the American Bitumastic Enamels Co. has built 
up an extensive organization of workers who make up an experienced 
and capable corps. 

When a new man is taken on he is first set to carrying molten Enamel 
from the heater to the point of work, and thus becomes familiar with the 
general method employed. Later he begins working between two more 
experienced men. By this method of actual experience he gains his 
training. 



DIRECTIONS FOR APPLYING BITUMASTIC SOLUTION 45 

The work is all carried on under the supervision of competent super- 
intendents and foremen, both trained in the actual work of application. 
The company retains the same employees from year to year. 

There has been established an enviable reputation for promptness and 
efficiency in the execution of contracts. The customer is thus assured of a 
good material, well applied. 

Directions for yipplying Bitumastic Solution 

Bitumastic Solution, when used alone, is applied by the customer some- 
what after the manner of ordinary paint. It is highly important, however, 
to observe carefully the following directions for its use. 

Before Bitumastic Solution is applied, surfaces of steel to be painted must be 
thoroughly cleaned, so as to be free from rust, scale, paint, oil and moisture. It 
cannot be applied to wet, frosty or greasy surfaces. No painting should be done 
when rain or snow is falling on surfaces to be coated. 

We recommend, when applying Bitumastic Solution to smoke stacks, boiler 
fronts, hot water and steam pipes, or other heated surfaces, that it be put on when 
metal is warm. It gives better results when applied to steel that is not too hot. 

Two coats are necessary, second following first after an interval of about twelve 
hours. If used on wood, three coats are recommended. 

Barrels must be opened by removing the bung on the side of the barrel. Do not 
knock the head in. 

Bitumastic Solution must be stirred well before using. Shaking does not 
thoroughly mix it. The amount needed for immediate use is then poured out 
and the bung of the barrel or cap of can immediately replaced, thus avoiding the 
escape of gases, which would have a tendency to thicken the material. 

Bitumastic solution is prepared ready for use and cannot be reduced or thinned. 

Always use a brush that has not been previously used for any other paint. 
Brushes that have been used for Bitumastic Solution can be kept standing in 
enough of the solution to cover the bristles. Do not put them in oil or turpentine. 



SPECIFICATIONS FOR STEAMERS 

The use of Bitumastic products in marine work has been standardized 
by extensive experience. In the interest of all parties concerned the fol- 
lowing set of specifications, as applying to various types of steamers, is 
recommended. Their general adoption would eliminate possible mis- 
understandings or omissions, and would thus tend to mutual advantage. 

In connection with all the following should be embodied this provision 
regarding application: 

All to be applied by the most approved method of the American Bitumastic 
Enamels Co. 

Sound and River Steamers; Tugs and Yachts 

Bitumastic Coatings: The following compartments to receive one coat of 
Bitumastic Solution and one coat of Bitumastic Enamel; entire internal surfaces 
of fore and after peak tanks, coal bunkers, excepting underside of decks which 
shall receive two coats of Bitumastic Solution, all structural work below line 
of top of floors including shell, floors, longitudinals, boiler saddles and foundations 
all fore and aft, all structural work in way of refrigerator spaces (if inner bottom 
tanks are fitted), entire internal surfaces of inner bottom tanks and fresh water 
tanks. Tank top in way of boiler and engine rooms to receive one coat of Bitu- 
mastic Solution and one covering of Bitumastic Cement, applied to a thickness 
of ^ inch. 

Note. It is often the practice to apply Bitumastic Cement on the shell from 
keel to lower turn of bilge to a thickness of ^ inch instead of the one coat of 
Bitumastic Enamel. 

Cargo and Passenger Steamers 

Bitumastic Coatings: The following compartments to receive one coat of 
Bitumastic Solution and one coat of Bitumastic Enamel ; entire internal surfaces 
of the fore and after peak tanks, upper and lower coal bunkers, excepting under- 
side of decks which shall receive two coats of Bitumastic Solution, entire internal 
surfaces of inner bottom tanks under boilers and engines, bilges in way of all 
cargo holds including margin, shell, brackets and frames to height of lower 
stringer, all structural work in way of refrigerator chambers, chain lockers and 



OILTANKSTEAMERS 47 

ash bunkers. Tank top in way of engine and boiler rooms to receive one coat of 
Bitumastic Solution and one covering of Bitumastic Cement applied to a thickness 
of ^ inch and ship's sides, bulkheads, foundations and boiler saddles to a height 
of platforms in way of these compartments to receive one coat of Bitumastic 
Solution and one Coat of Bitumastic Enamel. 

Note. Entire internal surfaces of all ballast tanks are often specified. 

Bulk Cargo Steamers with Top Side or JVing Tanks 

Bitumastic Coatings: Same as mentioned above for cargo and passenger 
steamers with the addition that the entire internal surfaces of top side tanks 
(or wing tanks) receive one coat of Bitumastic Solution and one coat of Bitumastic 
Enamel. 

Oil Tank Steamers 

Bitumastic Coatings: The following compartments to receive one coat of 
Bitumastic Solution and one coat of Bitumastic Enamel; entire internal surfaces 
of fore and after peak tanks, coffer dams, deep ballast tank forward (or if buoyancy 
space, shell, longitudinals and floor to height of top of floors), upper and lower coal 
bunkers, excepting underside of decks which shall receive two coats of Bitumastic 
Solution, entire internal surfaces of tanks under engines and boilers, all structural 
work in way of refrigerator spaces and chain lockers. Tank top in way of engine 
and boiler rooms to receive one coat of Bitumastic Solution and one covering of 
Bitumastic Cement applied to a thickness of -^/g inch and ship's sides, bulkheads, 
foundations and boiler saddles to height of platforms in way of these compart- 
ments to receive one coat of Bitumastic Solution and one coat of Bitumastic 
Enamel. 



